Endless Blue Skies I: Childhood of a Demon Vessel
by Shellderbeast
Summary: A GaaraxOc fanfic essentially, with a closer look at all of Kishimoto's Naruto characters and their lives. Part I of a 2/3 story saga; Childhood of a Demon Vessel. Pairings and action abound. Review and receive pancakes or cookies!
1. Prologue

**Endless Blue Skies, A Gaara Fanfiction**

Note: All Naruto characters and places belong to Masashi Kishimoto, except for my own original characters, who are doomed to belong to me. Other writers will either be credited in the author's comments and/or within the story.

**Prologue**

"_To see a world in a grain of sand,  
__And a heaven in a wildflower,  
__Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,  
__And eternity in an hour."  
- __William Blake_

Dawn was breaking over the hidden village of Sand.

The vast desert wasteland, with its endless horizon, was the epiphany of light and dark. There were no shadows to content with during the day, and no shelter from the scorching heat of the sun or the dry winds that fuelled the heat. But in the chill of the night, the darkness ruled and the shadows of the moon and stars preyed on those weak enough to succumb to their fear of the night.

The Fourth Kazekage stood on the roof of his headquarters, contemplating the concept of light and dark. Most of the village still slumbered, but a few were already awake and preparing for the coming day. Directly below him, three children were leaving the building. The girl on the left was busy retying her spiky blonde hair into four pigtails, while the dark haired boy on the right busied himself trying to stay awake.

In between them, a small boy with hair the colour of burning embers walked without fidgeting and was seemingly unaffected by the early hour of the morning.

The north wind picked up, causing the Fourth's white and blue robes to fly about him. The breeze swept down and through the children. The red-dead paused briefly, sensing something, and turned back to look directly at the Fourth. His pale blue eyes met the Kage's dark brown ones for an instant before continuing his walk.

As the trio turned onto the main street, heading towards the village entrance, the Kazekage closed his eyes briefly. He was having doubts again about the plan that was to be put into action in the next week. It had been only decided yesterday at the last meeting. The vote from the councillors was unanimous, including him, but there was a worry scratching at the back of his mind at the plan. _Still, if things continue the way they are…_ He didn't want to finish that though, but his imagination did for him.

He turned and walked back inside, discarding thoughts of his youngest son's future, and moving onto the details of the new day.

* * *

The north wind travelled through the sleepy hidden village and across the desert for a short time before it reached the caravans heading for Suna. A young rider with blue-grey eyes inhaled deeply as the breeze ruffled through short auburn hair. The rider suddenly sat up straighter and stared intently in the direction of their destination, trying to identify a new scent. There was something intriguing that they couldn't quite place. After a moment, the rider relaxed slightly but was unable to shake the feeling that something important was going to happen.

* * *

Far away on a distance mountain, a dark haired man stood outside the den where a great beast slumbered. His black cloak imprint with red clouds flapped about him in the wind. Breathing deeply, he smiled to himself and whispered, "Time to get this show on the road."

* * *

A/N: Yo.

Kthnxbi


	2. Chapter One, Part One

**EBS: Chapter One, Part One**

Note: All Naruto characters and places belong to Masashi Kishimoto, except for my own original characters, who are doomed to belong to me. Other writers will either be credited in the author's comments and/or within the story.

Subaku No Gaara walked silently between his siblings as they headed towards the entrance to their village. Their presence went unnoticed in the still slumbering village as they moved through the rows of plain, sand-coloured dwellings and shops like shadows.

The desert wind was playful today, tugging at Gaara's simple brown poncho and sent ripples through his blood red hair. Although he showed no expression at the touch of the wind, he found it to be enjoyable, almost soothing. His pale blue eyes were unreadable, as always.

His arms hung loosely by his sides, lacking the bear which he usually carried around. His uncle Yashamaru had politely asked for his bear today so he could wash it. It seemed a little odd to Gaara that his uncle would be silly enough to think the bear would stay clean in a place where sand found its way into every place imaginable.

After thinking about it for a moment, he decided his uncle just wanted to clean off the red stains that teddy and himself had acquired yesterday after another 'accident'. He let out an almost inaudible sound that might have passed as a sigh, and continued to stare at the ground in front of him.

Temari, on the left, glanced at her youngest brother, thinking he'd said something, but then realised it was only a sigh. She sighed inwardly herself and tucked a stray piece of hair back behind her ear. Looking up ahead for their sensei, she hoped they weren't going to be late. Baki-sensei had a strong sense of punctuality and discipline, which was fine if you could deal with doing things his way.

She sighed out loud this time in irritation as a bunch of her blonde hair came loose. Again.

Kankurou glanced at her and shook his head. "If it bothers you that much, you should just cut it all off. It'll save you time in the morning when you spend hours getting ready."

The comment earned him an evil look from his older sister. "At least I've got the decency to look respectable for these guests. You on the other hand, look like something the cat dragged in out of the garbage."

Kankurou simply grunted indifferently, irritating her further. In between them, Gaara seemed to pay no attention to his siblings bickering, remaining a silent figure walking in the middle.

Watching him as they reached the entrance, Kankurou felt a ping of disappointment at himself. While Gaara was too young to understand, he and Temari both knew perfectly well that Gaara's 'accidents' were a result of the monstrous demon that dwelled inside him. Both siblings were warned of the dangers of angering Gaara, but given time, he might understand that it was more useful not to kill his siblings or teacher. At least, that was what Baki said they were hoping for.

_But is there anything wrong with trying to be nice to him?_ Kankurou wondered as he yawned loudly and rubbed grit from his eyes. He then noticed Gaara raising his head ever-so slightly towards the noise. Smiling at his younger brother, he whispered, "Being near Temari makes me want to fall asleep, she drones on so much."  
He was pleased to see a tiny smile from Gaara, who replied softly, "But it's too hard to fall asleep when she's shouting all the time."

Kankurou chuckled and Gaara's smile grew a little, but both of them were silenced by a questioning look from Temari. Whatever question she had went unvoiced as they reached the outer wall of Suna.

Baki was standing to attention, watching the horizon for signs of their guests. As they moved to stand next to him, they greeted him with a firm, "Good morning, Baki-sensei", who merely nodded in return. Other than the two sentries at either end of the wall, there were five other shinobi waiting on various parts of the wall, none of them above chunnin level.

Kankurou sat down cross-legged against the wall, ignoring Temari's look of disproval, and patted the ground next to him, indicating Gaara should sit. Gaara hesitantly did so.

* * *

The sun was midway above the horizon before they saw anything. Kankurou was dozing, Gaara was swirling sand absently in his hands, and Temari and Baki were standing upright.

"I can see dust rising out there." Temari announced loudly, waking Kankurou from his slumber. The boys stood up and moved forward to where the others were standing. The dust cloud quickly changed from a speck in the distance to a very large group of animals moving very fast towards them.

"What on earth is that man doing?" Baki muttered to himself, signalling to the other shinobi. "What's going on out there?"

Squinting against the glare of the rising sun, one of the gennin shouted back, "I think the horses are stampeding!"

Cursing loudly, Baki ordered for those on the inside to be ready and secure the gates. Everyone moved up to the top of the wall, and watched the herd of about fifty horses thundered towards them across the desert floor. The walls of the valley were echoing the deafening noise, and the ground beneath their feet shook. As they got closer, they could hear the yells of the ten or so riders that were trying to halt the herd.

Gaara sensed there was something wrong moments before the earth near the edge where he was standing gave way with a loud crack and groan. Before he could move he found himself plummeting towards the ground with rock and sand swirling about him. In his mind a voice was yelling at him to do something, but fear overwhelmed his senses. He felt someone grab his waist a few metres from the ground and they tumbled away from the rubble onto the soft sand and straight in front of the stampeding herd.

* * *

Kankurou landed safely to the side of the entrance while Gaara rolled straight in front of the entrance. He had managed to pull Gaara out of the fall, but lost his hold on his brother when a stray rock knocked him hard on the head. Fighting back the nausea and dizziness, he screamed at Gaara to move, but the red-head seemed paralysed with fear. Kankurou slipped into unconsciousness as Baki reached him and dragged him to safety.

* * *

More rock fell down and Gaara threw his hands up to shield himself and caused sand to fly up suddenly to his aid. The sudden movement caused the leader of the herd to swerve away from him, along with the rest of the horses. Slowly, Gaara lowered his arms and the wall of sand protecting him fell away.

One of the riders, seemingly no older than him, appeared suddenly in front of him on a pale golden horse with their hand outstretched. "Get on! I need your help. I'll explain as we go!"

Never before in his short life had he been told to do something in such direct terms by a complete stranger, let alone someone no older than he was. In an instant, a dozen questions flashed into his mind that he should be asking before even thinking about considering doing anything. The rider's stormy grey-blue eyes flashed intently behind the handkerchief that covered the lower half of their face.

Some force his young mind couldn't comprehend made the decision for him. He took hold of the outstretched hand and found himself gripping the rider tightly around the waist.

With a yell they took off after the herd. Both horse and rider were soaked with sweat but Gaara took no notice as he marvelled at the power of the creature he sat upon. The rider shifted his position slightly and the horse changed course, heading towards the tip of the small half-circular valley where the herd would head eventually. It might have taken minutes but to Gaara it seemed to take moments. They slowed to a walk at the tip and the rider began speaking in a very brisk manner for a six year old. "You know that trick you did with the sand just then?"

"Y-yes?" Gaara was surprised to find his voice shaking with some form of elated fear.

"Well, as you can see, the herd is facing the wrong direction and will no doubt continue to run away from the entrance now that they got a scare from it. If you could block off all possible access except for a straight route back to the village entrance, we'd be saving ourselves a lot of time and man power."

Gaara thought about the way the sand acted upon how he was feeling and nodded firmly. "I can do it, I think"

The rider grinned behind the cloth mask and said enthusiastically, "Well, there's no time like the present. Let's go!"

Gaara looked over and was startled to see the herd was almost upon them. He pictured the image of a wall that was just shorter than him so he could see what was happening, and raised his hands. Sand rose from the desert, and to his surprise, the horses shielded away and turned back towards the entrance.

"We're going to lead them into Suna, so start making a wide enough path on either side of us!" The rider yelled over the noise.

"Okay!"

Gaara felt something pass between horse and rider and the horse let out a sudden burst of speed that brought them in front of the herd. They continued to charge back towards Suna with Gaara's sand walls forcing the horses to slow down and spread out. Even so, as they raced down the narrow corridor, the sound of two hundred hooves hitting the earth as one made a thunderous noise. They led the herd past a stunned group of onlookers, who had arisen to see what all the commotion was about, and moved aside to allow the herd to move past them into the holding pen that had been set aside for them.

Within a few minutes, the last horse was inside and they milled around quietly, as if nothing had ever happened. They all jumped as a deep, accented voice cut through the air, "Now why couldn't you dumb beasties act like that before?"

* * *


	3. Chapter One, Part Two

**Chapter One, Part Two **

The owner of the voice sat astride an exceptionally large brown horse. He had a rough, unshaved face and sharp golden eyes that were partly hidden by his shoulder length messy brown hair. He wore dark suede pants and grey button shirt, both with elaborate silver embroidery, and leather boots with spurs that glistened in the sun. He rode straight up to the fence and stared down at the herd. "It seems so much easier than charging in here like a gang of knuckleheads!"

The horses almost seemed ashamed of themselves under the man's penetrating gaze. Shaking his head, he dismounted his horse in a fluid movement that Gaara only managed clumsily. The other boy was as graceful as the man.

Baki and Temari appeared suddenly next to him, along with several other shinobi. Temari's expression was full of concern and she made as if to hug Gaara but stopped and instead placed a hesitant hand on his shoulder. "Gaara-kun, are you alright?"

Nodding, he replied "I'm okay I guess." In truth, his legs felt shaky and the voice in his head was excited by everything that happened. It was disconcerting to have so many pairs of eyes on him at once when he hadn't done something wrong. For once. Glancing around, he asked, "Where's Kankurou?"

"He's been treated by the medics right now." Seeing Gaara's confusion, she explained "He saved you from the fall, but managed to knock himself out in the process. He'll be fine though, his thick skull has saved him on countless occasions before."

They both unconsciously shared small, worried smiles. Then the boy tapped Gaara on the shoulder and pointed to where Baki-sensei and the golden eyed man stood.

Nearby, Baki and the tall man sized each other up for a long moment before breaking into grins and embracing each other. The three children watched with interest at the odd behaviour of their respected teachers.

"Baki you old war-dog! It's been far too long!"

"It certainly has Arthur-kun. I hope your fighting skills haven't dwindled in place of keeping your youthful looks."

"Ah, the same old rivalry over women, hey Baki?"

Baki grinned and shook his head "Not anymore I'm afraid. I've got a beautiful wife of three years and a little girl of two years."

"You're kidding me! How on earth did you find someone to put up with your perfectionism and sarcastic sense of humour?"

"Probably the same way you managed to find a woman to bed in every village, town and city we had missions in when we were younger; it's all in the charm."

Roaring with laughter, the man Arthur called out to one of the riders. A handsome boy of about twelve years, with wavy blonde hair and copper-gold eyes, dismounted from a chestnut horse and walked over to them. He was much like a younger version of Arthur in build and height, but there was a quiet, thoughtfulness to him. His clothes were also similar to Arthur's, but without the extravagant patterns.

Clapping the boy on the shoulder, Arthur spoke with pride evident in his voice, "Baki-kun, allow me to introduce you to my son, Shay. His mother was a beautiful waitress called Myra, God rest her soul. She passed away many years ago from terminal illness and I took Shay under my wing as I could not bear to see my own flesh and blood turned out on the street. He's as fine a boy as a man could ask for."

Baki shook Shay's hand, "You're an excellent rider young man. There's no doubt in my mind that you're Arthur's son."

Shay smiled easily at the compliment. "My thanks sir. Otoosan often speaks of you and the times you spent together growing up with much enthusiasm."

They all shared a grin before they realised simultaneously the others were waiting for orders. The newcomers were drawing quite a crowd.

Arthur gave orders for his men to settle the horses while Baki instructed the shinobi to assist them and show them to their hotel rooms near the stables. Other than the boy that Gaara had ridden in with, there were fifteen other riders, including Arthur and Shay, and three caravans that had only just arrived in the village. An organized chaos of activity commenced, with the three children moving off to the side to observe the frenzy. One of the caravans seemed to be the housing of a lady of some rank, but Gaara couldn't tell over the crowd.

"By the way," Temari suddenly turned and stuck her hand out to the rider and said, "Welcome to Sunagakure, I'm Temari, and this is my youngest brother Gaara."

The rider pulled off the dirt covered handkerchief and hat before extending her own hand, "Pleased to meet you, I'm Talia."

She turned to Gaara to shake his hand as well but was surprised to see a stunned look on his face. "Is there something wrong?"

Gaara felt blood rushing up to his cheeks as he stuttered, "I-I th-thought you were a boy…" His voice trailed off as both girls burst into giggles. He'd never felt so embarrassed before, but was wishing that he'd noticed before that her voice was very feminine for a boy.

Eventually, Talia was able to look him in the eye still grinning. "I'll forgive you for that Gaara-kun, mainly because most people to assume I'm a boy anyway with the short hair and dirty clothes." She held her hand out again.

He looked at her sceptically, then after a hesitant moment, quickly shook her hand and withdrew. It was times like this that were far and few in between, when a stranger was introduced to him and they didn't have i_that_/i look in their eyes. The look that let you know exactly what they were thinking

"_It's that monster…" "That kid, stay away from him" "Don't come near me you freak!"_

And he had no idea why.

Baki, Arthur and Shay joined them, interrupting his thoughts.

"Are these your students then Baki-kun?" Arthur asked.

He nodded. "And Kazekage-sama's children. Temari-san here is the oldest; Kankurou-kun is currently being tended to by the medics, and young Gaara-kun."

When Arthur shook both of their hands, his gaze held Gaara's for an instant longer, but it seemed like he was trying to remember something. _Which_, Gaara supposed as he let go, _was better than being thought of as a freak_.

"It's good to meet you both. By the way Baki, this is Talia, my other pride and joy in my life, and although she's unfortunately not mine, she's been in my care for over a year now."

Arthur beckoned Talia over and knelt down in the sand, placing his hands on her shoulders. His face was very serious. "Talia, what you did today… was absolutely ingenious. I'm very proud of you." He looked over at Gaara and grinned broadly at him. "You're both fine riders if I do say so myself."

Gaara blushed faintly again, but Talia exclaimed, "Just 'fine riders'? We were awesome! I didn't see you bringing in a herd of fifty stampeding horses!"

Arthur's face was so comical that everyone broke out laughing.

Neither Temari nor Talia mentioned Gaara's mistake, much to his relief. The boy Shay was standing close to Talia, which she didn't seem to mind. His presence was stirring foreign feelings inside him that he couldn't comprehend. The closest feeling he could label it with was 'uncomfortable'.

"Well then Baki, I think it's high time my men and I retired for a morning siesta." Arthur announced after a few more minutes of small talk. "We've been travelling all night to get here on time. A sandstorm on the border two days ago held us up."

"You all look pretty much done in. I'll have someone show you to your rooms. By the way, before this evening's dinner, the Kazekage has requested a meeting with you at noon do discuss the finer points of certain issues."

With the appearance of a gennin to show the group to their rooms, they bid each other goodbye. Talia turned back to wave at Gaara, who waved shyly back. Baki and Temari glanced at each other but said nothing as their guests left.

But then again, they didn't need too. For nothing was more disturbing than watching a monster and an innocent befriend one another.

Author's note: Weeeeeeee... For those of you lovely people who have kept reading as far as you have already, well done. As it is, I have no idea what any of you actually think of this story, so, if even one person could submit some sort of review, I would really appreciate it, and keep going with this. Even a comment of "Its so kool!! I LOVE GAARA!" would be thought well of at this point in time.

kthnxby

* * *


	4. Chapter Two, Part One

**Chapter Two, Part One**

Arthur yawned loudly and stretched.

The moment they had seen to the horses and been shown to their rooms, he had collapsed on the bed for a few hours sleep. Glancing at the time, he wasn't surprised to see it was 11:27am. Years of training with shinobi and militant personal alike had given him the ability to sleep for set periods of time to his liking. Not in about 8 years had he woken up late for oversleeping.

Yawning again, he dressed slowly, thinking about what etiquettes needed to be observed when in the presence of a Kazekage, and his method of approach to their bargaining. All in all it should be fairly simple. His close relationship with Baki and Suna itself meant he was far more likely to get what he asked for without compromising too much. He glanced at his appearance in the small mirror on the bedside table and ran a comb through his hair before tying it back. _Baki is right, _he realised suddenly, _I do look so much younger than him. _It saddened him to think that his friend was also more likely to die at a much younger age living out here in the desert. There was a hard quality to the sand shinobi that he hadn't seen anywhere else in his travels. Their stereotypical tanned, weather-beaten skin, the creases around their eyes from hours of staring against the glare of the sun, and the wars all left a distinct mark on the sand warriors. _Then_, he mused to himself, smiling slightly, _How is it that he's managed to find a committed wife when you've only barely managed to handle raising a boy on your own?_

Shaking his head at the oddities of life, he gathered his papers up and placed them in a small backpack before stepping into the hallway quietly. Across from his room, he noticed Talia's door was slightly ajar. Peeking inside, he smiled warmly when he saw her dressed in fresh clothes and drawing on the plain wood desk against the window.

She looked up immediately and then let herself relax into a sunny smile when she realised it was him. He couldn't help but grin further at her sweet innocent expression, one which never failed to charm his attentions. Her short rich brown hair, though cut boyishly, was neatly pinned back. The sun streaks glowed warmly in the light, flattering her softly tanned skin and bright grey-blue eyes.

_Just like her mother…_ his traitorous mind thought, filling him again with that sickly bittersweet feeling he'd been having so often lately.

"Arthur-chan", she spoke suddenly, interrupting his thoughts. He was the only one she addressed as 'chan'. Even Shay was still called 'Shay-oniisan'. "Come look at what I've drawn."

Moving to stand behind her, she held up three drawings. "This one is of the horses this morning, and this one is of you and Baki-kun." He smiled at the pictures, so well-drawn for a six year old. The idea that her ninjutsu talents might be of an artistic kind had crossed his mind before, but he had a hunch that there might be multiple area where Talia would excel, given her background.

His smile faltered slightly as she held up the third drawing. Again from this morning, it was of Talia and the red haired child, Gaara, riding together. Staring at it closely, Arthur thought he could almost feel a sense of connection between the two figures Talia had sketched.

_Something,_ he mused with concern, _only experienced artists would've been able to capture._ However, the fact she had been able to do so with this Gaara made him… uncomfortable, to put it politely. He'd only remembered who the child was as he was going to sleep. After he had left Sunagakure seven years ago, word had reached him that the Fourth's wife had died in childbirth and there was a rumour she'd given birth to a demon. A red haired child that bore the loathsome One-tailed Shukaku.

Talia, lowering the drawing, noticed his change of expression. "What's wrong, Arthur-chan? Don't you like this one?"

"Don't be silly, of course I like it. It's just…" He paused, thinking quickly, "That you're drawing skills are very, very good. I was thinking about finding you an artisan shinobi to tutor you."

Her eyes narrowed and she replied in a suddenly accusing tone, "Why do you always, _always_, have to think about fighting and being a good warrior all the time? What would you do if I didn't wanna be a konuichi?"

Silence.

_Am I really working her too hard?_ he wondered, taken back by her outburst. There was an uncomfortable sinking feeling in his gut as the realisation dawn on him. Talia worked almost as hard as the grown men working with the caravans, from sunrise to sunset without complaint. Of course all the men were like family now, and treated her like the sisters or daughters they had lost over the years. _But_ _she's only six years old! Hell, I don't even know what most normal kids do…_

Sighing wearily, he knelt down to her and gently squeezed one of her tiny hands. "I'm sorry sweetheart; I'm no good at this father business. Ever since you could walk you've always been prone to helping out. With all the work involved as captain of the caravans and the constant travelling from place to place, I've taken you for granted, because you never complain and you seemed so happy all the time."

Talia's expression of anger softened at that. "I am happy most of the time. I love working with the horses and everyone feels like part of a really big family. And you are good at the father business, I think you are."

She looked down at the drawings scattered on the desk. He caught a sly look in her eye as she continued casually, "But it'd be nice if we could stay in one place for a while. Like at a hidden village like this one. I could go to school and learn about all those scroll and ninjutsu techniques you're always telling my about."

He smiled crookedly at her bargaining tactics. "Well, maybe we could take a few months off travelling at some point. But" He held up a hand to stop her protesting. "But I do promise it will happen soon. Let's see how this sale works out and then we'll get everyone together in a week and talk about it. Deal?"

"Deal." They shook hands solemnly, and then she threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you Arthur-chan!"

Laughing, he hugged her tightly back. "Come on. We'll grab Shay and you two can walk me to the Suna HQ."

* * *

_  
Thwok._

The wooden batten connected with the leather ball and Temari gracefully dodged aside to avoid having the ball embedded in her skull.

Gaara stood in the centre of a pentagon marked out with thick wooden posts in one of the various training courts surrounding the Sand's headquarters. Within each of the posts was a concealed ball shooter, which fired shots at Gaara randomly. Temari was dancing around the outside of the posts, and throwing her own hardened leather balls at Gaara and trying to avoid being hit when Gaara defended himself using a wooden batten. Baki stood against the rear wall, maintaining a sufficient barrier around his pupils to prevent one of the projectiles injuring anyone passing by.

_Voohumpf._

Kankurou was also moving around the pentagon, using his puppeteer skills to fire off the balls. He reached up and cautiously rubbed the bandage that covered the stitches he'd received earlier. The rough gauze material was so itchy, and sweating was only making it worse. _Still,_ he thought with a smile, a_t least Gaara's alright._ He felt a sense of pride watching his brother standing there with the bat raised evenly in front of him as he turned slowly on the spot. Most of the balls he had hit on his own today, with only a few of them being bashed by the protective sand around him, like the last one. Those ones were the ones to watch for, because the sand hit them hard enough to break bones, not that Gaara had any control over that.

_Not yet anyway,_ Kankurou mused. His lapse in concentration earned him a warning shout from Temari and then a ball from Gaara straight into his stomach. He dropped groaning to the ground, completely winded and cursing himself.

Baki just shook his head and made his way over to them, lowering the barrier. Temari was fussing over him and telling him how stupid he was at the same time, while Gaara, still holding the bat, kept apologising.

"Kankurou, you're fine, stop lapping it up." Baki ordered.

Grunting, Kankurou slowly stood up and patted Gaara on the shoulder. "Oi, I'm fine. It was my own fault for not watching you. You're getting pretty good you know."

Gaara relaxed slightly while Temari sniffed and muttered, "Baka" under her breath.

Baki eyed the three siblings carefully. "I think it's time to call it quits for this morning. You all have the afternoon off today, so spend it wisely. Your father expects you to be dressed appropriately for our guests by 6 o'clock tonight. You're dismissed."

As he disappeared, Temari opened her mouth to say something when the sound of two people arguing interrupted her.

_"I told you it was the wrong way."_

_"Well, it looked like the way we came in."_

_"It did not. If you hadn't insisted that we take the scenic route out of here_ through the gardens…" Talia stopped speaking as she and Shay rounded the corner and almost ran straight into the sand sibs. "Gaara-kun! Temari-san! And someone I'm going to assume is your brother Kankurou. Nice to meet you."

Kankurou smiled, "It's good to be known." Glancing at the other boy he asked, "And you are?"

"Shay. How's your head?"

"Better. I've had worse though." Kankurou replied boastfully.

Temari snorted. "Yeah, like that time you tried to impress that girl with your puppet and you tripped down the stairs and broke your nose."

Kankurou went red and everyone chuckled. He thought the sound of the younger girl's laugh was very pleasant, like she was honestly enjoying herself. Then he noticed the shy smile on Gaara's face which directed straight at Talia. Quickly making a decision, he suddenly said, "Oi, if you've got free time on your hands, why don't you let us show you two around town? And how to get out of here without getting lost."

Shay grinned, "Sure thing. I could do with a walk."

Kankurou winked at Temari, who was looking at him suspiciously, and said, "Yosh! Let's go!"

* * *


	5. Chapter Two, Part Two

**Chapter Two, Part Two**

"_Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."  
- __George Santayana (1863 - 1952)_

The air was filled with the cries of hawkers.

The lunch hour was always the busiest time in Suna, and it was even more crowded than usual with the addition of the newcomers that everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of. The smell of the heat, delicious foods and perfumes was also thick in the air. Children ran through the crowds, dodging and weaving with skill only matched by shinobi. Over the chatter and din of noise, a baby wailed and dogs barked and deliverers cursed as their wagon collapsed under the strain of the load.

Temari and the others walked along the main street, taking in all the sights and sounds and smells. While their guests and her siblings talked (which was mainly Kankurou), she began thinking about what Baki had taught them yesterday, about the history of Suna.

Hundreds of people moved through the streets, absorbed with their own lives, and most were completely unaware that the ground they walked was once the battlefield known as the Valley of Blood.

i_Suna had a bloody history stretching back over 200 years. It was built originally with the design of a military base, with the main street stretching from end to end of the valley, the headquarters in the centre of this, and the houses in straight rows. This was due to the constant wars being fought as colonies spread out and sought out the boarders of their new nations. _

_As the youngest of what would become one of the five great shinobi countries, Suna leaders would've had a far easy time establishing themselves had they not been so bent on fighting and proving themselves in conquest. The constant need to fight left the next generation with less of an understanding about their culture, their true beliefs and less young lives to carry on the battle. The village was beginning its descent into stagnation. _

_The village of Suna would not exist today if a man, who would later become the First Kazekage, had not taken matters into his own hands. With a small group of rebels skilled in the art of wind and sand jutsu, they removed all of the generals and leaders that were the cause of the fighting almost overnight._

_After the people of Suna had recognized him as their leader, a task that took little effort as the constant slaughter drained their will to fight pointlessly; he built the Hidden Village of Sand within a valley that had been their main battlefield._

_It was an impenetrable fortress to armies of the time and a survey of the underground revealed a high amount of ores, gold and other precious metals only fifty metres below the surface. The additional discovery of an underground lake meant they could produce enough crops to feed the village._

_People initially voiced fear that they would be cursed to build and live on ground where men of legend had died, but the First assured them that the spirits of the dead warriors would protect them within this valley, instead of cursing them._

_And so we thrived in this harsh land by establishing ourselves as a nation to be feared and respected, and created weapons to rival those produced by Iwagakure and Raigakure. The forests on our boarders became a source of wood, and we used the sea to trade with those across it._

_While the desert may seem like a barren land, it is only an illusion created to defend itself, because nothing is more important here than having an absolute defence._

Baki's words floated through her mind clearly despite the noise around her. Perhaps it was the noise that caused her to think of what the history buried beneath her feet.

Glancing at Talia, for a split second she could've sworn she saw a flash of

…_eastbloodnightwalkerrundontstoprunni_

Something and a wave of nauseating uneasiness overcame her. She blinked through the sudden glare of sunlight and the fuzzy, misshapen image disappeared.

Shaking her head, the awful feeling vanished as fast as it had come. Suddenly she realised she had stopped walking and the others were staring at her in confusion.

"Temari-san?" Talia questioned in concern. "Are you alright? You look a little pale."

Temari hastily smiled. "Oh I'm fine. I just realised I'm starving and got caught up thinking about where we could go to eat." She lied quickly.

Kankurou, only seven and a half years old and still fairly naïve and innocent despite having Gaara for a brother, believed her and immediately said, "Alrighty then. As long as it's not the Ramen House again."

As they began arguing about where to go, the memory of what she'd seen faded away but despite liking Talia and her infectious smile, she couldn't help but feel slightly wary of the younger girl.

A short time later, the five of them found themselves at the Horizon's Café, which was based on the fourth or top floor of a hotel overlooking the central marketplace. Upon their recognition as the Kazekage's children and guests, they were seated at a round table in a secluded section of the balcony with a clear view of the happenings below them. The waitress was polite but her eyes kept darting towards Gaara nervously as she took their orders.

Luckily for her, he didn't notice.

Sitting between Kankurou and Talia, with Shay on the other side of her, his stomach was beginning to twist uncomfortably again at the near presence of the girl. Uncle Yashamaru still had Teddy, which meant he had nothing to grip and clench with except his own hands under the table. Whenever he felt like this, he nearly always began flexing his hands into a claw-like shape. Yashamaru called it a 'nervous habit', which Gaara could only understand the habit part of it. He didn't know which one of his foreign feelings to label as 'nervous'.

She and Shay had both changed from their dirty riding clothes into clean ones. Shay wore white t-shirt and light brown pants as well as a belt pouch. He also wore a leather thong with a delicate golden hawk that rested against the white background of his shirt. It was fashioned to look like it was attacking something.

Talia was also wearing fawn coloured pants, with a white tank and a similar gold pendent on a thong, but hers was a galloping horse with its mane and tail swept back against the wind. Gaara thought it was very nice to look at. _The horse looks like it's running for freedom, _he mused.

Talia caught his gaze and he quickly glanced away, embarrassed.

"Do you like it?"

He looked back at her. "What?"

She brushed the pendent with her fingertips. "My symbol, do you like it?"

Her movements caused the voice to stir in the back of his mind again. It was never far away. Mentally pushing it away, he replied softly, "I-It's very nice. It looks like it's free or something."

He almost blushed again but Talia smiled, "That's right. For me it's a symbol of freedom, a horse running because he wants to, because he can and nothing's going to stop him. Arthur-sama says that everyone has a totem animal or object which is another way to being as strong as you possibly can."

"Yes, but understanding your totem creature is also a path to inner enlightenment, which is the first and most important reason for gaining knowledge of your totem", Shay chided her gently.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Know-it-all."

He grinned and pulled her ear. "Better to be a know it all and look smart than a dumb show off." She batted his hand away and turned back to Gaara.

"Don't mind him. He's just annoyed that you and me brought in that herd all by ourselves instead of him."

Finding his plate suddenly interesting, he stared at it as he continued to speak quietly, "I just did what you said too. So it was basically you that stopped the horses stampeding."

She stared at him as Temari and Kankurou shared incredulous glances that she didn't see but Shay noted with interest. _He's so shy and modest and here I am talking my mouth off again,_ she thought in quiet admiration. _I bet I scared him before when I asked him to help me. He looked so cool with his sand though. Just a bit like the quiet type, like Shay._

"How long have you been riding for, Gaara-kun?" She asked casually, trying not to let herself get over enthusiastic, as Shay had put it once.

"I've never even touched a horse until this morning."

"What?" Shay blurted in shock, while Talia's jaw dropped and colour began to rise in her cheeks. "Do you mean to tell me that you rode with Talia, using a technique that required you to ride hands free for most of the way, with no experience?"

He looked at Talia. "You do realise he could've fallen off and almost certainly killed underneath that herd?"

"How could I have known? I just saw him fall off the wall, then Kankurou stopped him hitting the ground and then he did that cool thing with his sand that turned the horses. I was thinking on my feet!" Talia exclaimed defensively. "And nothing bad happened. We were just lucky I guess."

Temari snorted at that and when the others looked at her she explained, "From what I could see, he was gripping that horse as tightly as he could with his legs without realising it, which was the only reason he didn't have a chance of falling off. Your legs hurt don't they, Gaara-kun?"

Looking a little startled at the exchange, he nodded, "Y-yeah, a little." In his mind he kept thinking, _She just said my sand was 'cool'. Not scary. Why does she think that?_

Shay just shook his head, "Lucky indeed. You must be a natural rider kid."

Temari smiled slightly, satisfied that she was right and Kankurou sighed in relief as an argument was diverted. On cue, the food arrived and he grinned, "Yosh! Dig in guys, the Horizon is famous for its delicious meats."

Talk turned to eating for a while before Shay began talking to Temari about who was coming to the dinner tonight. Kankurou continued to eat, not really seeing the importance of who did what job and 'why wasn't such and such attending'. It all bored him to tears.

"Talia-san" Gaara said timidly. Kankurou kept eating but listened carefully.

"Hm?"

"Could we go see the horses after this?"

Talia looked pleasantly surprised. "Well, of course. If you want to, I mean, it is your village and your dad is the Kazekage too."

Kankurou felt as surprised as Talia did, but at the same time, the growing feeling of concern was beginning to welt his appetite. He was a year older than Gaara, but that meant nothing on the countless occasions that he had received cuts and bruises from the bursts of temper Gaara displayed often. In the past week, the red head had been less inclined to become angered but today had been a real change for him.

_This girl… there's something about her that is preventing the demon from surfacing as often._ Even he could realise that.

As their plates were cleared and Talia announced that they wanted to visit the horses, Kankurou decided a talk with his older sister was in order. _Very soon,_ he amended.

* * *

Arthur sat back and waited patiently as the Fourth considered his answer.

Tendrils of smoky incense drifted down from holders on the dark rock walls, filling the meeting room with a spicy scent. The sunlight filtering though the partially open shutters did little to clear the hazy atmosphere. The servants had left some time ago, leaving Baki, the Fourth, three advisors and himself in the room. The wizened advisors sat behind the Kazekage under the canopy, drinking tea of some sort and observing with emotionless faces.

The Kazekage had removed his robes of office after the introductions and discarded them unceremoniously into the arms of an awaiting servant. He was dressed in plain black clothes, revealing a sturdily built man, with deep brown eyes and hair of the same colour. He was also a very militant man, and no doubt despised his cosy desk position when he could be out on the field training new recruits.

"Arthur-san," He intoned finally. His voice was very deep, able to be heard over the height of battle when he bellowed, though Arthur guessed he hadn't had to do that in a while.

"In consideration of your offer, I regret to inform you that we can only take half the number of horses offered, and at two-thirds the price. These hard times leave us with little room to compromise I'm afraid."

The news certainly came as a shock to Arthur. He had to bite his cheek to stop himself blurting out his surprise. Baki, sitting in between the Kage and his friend like a referee, noticed the movement but could say nothing in way of an explanation in the presence of the Kazekage.

Eventually, after a pregnant pause, Arthur spoke. "That is most regrettable Kazekage-sama. I had heard rumours before arriving that the Hidden Village of Sand was experiencing issues but I didn't realise the burden was to this extent."

The other man inclined his head slightly, "Sunagakure is simply at a point where we need to conserve as much of our resources as possible and build steadily towards a stronger future. By taking only half of what you have offered, our progress in that area will be achieved at a slower rate, but it will be achieved."

_Bloody cryptic politicians. Why can't they admit out right that they've fritted all the peoples' money away on poor decision making and be done with it?_ Arthur thought in disgust. _If I don't take his offer now, I'm going to lose my good standing with the village even if I was raised here. I hate politics. No one thinks about running a country properly these days._

Breathing deeply, he ceased his mental grumbling and made up his mind. "Kazekage-sama, I have decided to accept your compromise in light of Suna's current situation but would ask for a favour to be fulfilled in the future, whenever I should ask of it."

Suspicion flicked across his eyes but he said, "Done."

They shook hands and Arthur stood and bowed. "Thank you for your time." He turned to leave.

"Before you go, I myself have a small favour to ask." The Kazekage didn't move from his seated position. His steely gaze locked onto Arthur's. "You met my children this morning. What is your opinion of my youngest son, Gaara?"

Arthur kept a neutral façade while Baki's eyes narrowed slightly at the question. Studying the seated man, he could feel one of his gut feelings occurring with alarm bells sounding.

There was definitely something wrong with Suna, and his hunch was that it stemmed back to the Kazekage and the small red haired child. "He is a quiet child, but any fool can tell that he holds great potential to become a powerful warrior, with training of course. Temari and Kankurou are very bright as well, and brave from the way Kankurou jumped to Gaara's rescue."

Then, against the pointed look Baki was giving him and going with his gut, he added, "Did you also know that he rode with my adopted daughter and helped bring in the stampeding herd? She's still alive by the way."

Glancing at Baki in what seemed like irritation, he replied coolly, "Yes I did know that, but I'm afraid I don't quite understand what is so significant about that."

"It means that he is still a human child. It means that if you people bothered to treat him properly, maybe he would be able to resist killing people or causing these 'accidents' I've heard about. Have the people of Suna become as harsh and uncaring as the desert you live in?"

His words were like a splash of icy water to the other man. His face hardened and he replied with barely hidden contempt, "If I held any less respect for you or your father, I would have you killed this very instant. Do not come in here and tell us how to care our own. By the end of this week, Gaara will either no longer be a threat to anyone, or failing that, he will become an ultimate weapon for this village that you could never dream of owning."

The two men stared at each other, loathing spilling out of their gazes. The elders behind them stared at Arthur with outright respect that they would no longer give to the Fourth. Arthur finally said, "Fine. Do you what you will with him. While it sickens my heart to see my home rotting under the sun, it appears I can do little to help it." He turned and walked out of the room, the door allowing a flash of brilliant light into the dim room before vanishing into silence.

* * *

A/N: Another chapter has magically appeared out of phat air. I mean pretty soon, these things may need to be summoned by a review or something, because the effort doesn't feel so worth it when no one can be bothered to move their cursor down to the bottom left hand corner and hit that Go button...  
Blah what do I care? I'm doing this because I need something to work on to keep the boredom from setting in. And because Gaara is an awesome character. strikes a Rock Lee pose and smile with a proverbial 'ping'

Credit to Masashi Kishimoto (Love you Kishi ) for all Naruto characters and the like; and to George Santayana for his quote. All original characters belong to me.


	6. Chapter Three: A Dinner Date?

**Chapter Three: A Dinner Date**

A soft chorus of whickers greeted the group.

The noise level was considerably less inside the stable, most likely due to its location and the clay walls. The air was filled with the sweet, sharp scent of hay and horses. The building was long and two stories, with roughly fifteen stalls on each side and a hay loft above them.

While the others left to see the herd, Talia led Gaara down the row of stalls before entering the left one at the end. The horse, what she called a 'palomino', immediately moved forward at the sight of the girl and nuzzled her affectionately. Gaara hung back, still wary of the larger animal.

Smiling as she stroked the horse, Talia said, "Don't be scared Gaara-kun. Hoshi acts all tough but really he's just gentle show pony when he's not working, right boy?"

To Gaara's surprise, Hoshi nickered in reply, bobbing his head in a comic fashion that sent Talia into giggles.

"He's so silly sometimes. Just hold your palm out flat and let him smell you."

Feeling slightly silly himself, he cautiously held out his hand for the horse to inspect. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth at the feel of the horse's velvety nose and whiskers. Talia handed him an odd looking brush and showed him how to brush, moving the same way as the hair, and moved a stool over for him.

He admired the shimmery pale gold colour of his coat and the silky silvery-white mane as he brushed in rhythmic strokes. Hoshi seemed perfectly happy to let Gaara brush him, and he felt a slight tug in his chest at the notion, but it didn't hurt like it normally did. Yashamaru had tried to explain such things before but he'd have to ask later about that one.

Talia, standing on a stool on the other side, watched Gaara's expressions thoughtfully as she combed Hoshi's mane. She wasn't oblivious to the fact that everyone around Gaara treated him differently, even Temari and Kankurou, although they seemed to be less afraid than everyone else. _Or maybe it's because they know him better so they knew when to be afraid,_ a little voice whispered in the back of her mind. The thought triggered another one; _what is it about Gaara that everyone is scared of?_ She was pondering over the idea so deeply that she didn't even notice the arrival of another person.

"So who is this Talia-san?"

Both Talia and Gaara jumped, and sand shot up from the floor and wrapped itself loosely around him like a misshapen snake that was about to strike. The sudden movement around his hooves startled Hoshi but he remained still, sensing no immediate threat.

The speaker was another girl their age. Her thick black hair ran down to her waist in a neat plait, and a pair of large hazel eyes gazed calmly from her heart-shaped face. Her clothes were similar to what Temari was wearing today, which was a long sleeved black tunic with a v-neck, and a belt clinched at the waist.

He relaxed slightly, and the sand floated back down into the floor. The girl watched it with mild interest as Talia spoke, breaking the tense silence. "Callie-san! You scared us. Ano, this is Subaku no Gaara. Gaara-kun, this is Calista Nara, Callie for short. Her mother and father are wealthy merchants from Konohagakure who are travelling home with us from a business trip."

Callie inclined her head towards Gaara. "Nice to meet you. How do you make the sand do that without using any hand motions?"

The question returned him to his usual stoic expression, to Talia's disappointment and curiosity. "I don't know how, it just acts like that on its own sometimes."

"I see." She seemed to be thinking deeply about something. "Well, I just wanted to let you know that it's four o'clock and we all need to get ready for tonight."

Talia grimaced. "But there's still two hours left! I only need to shower and put clothes on and I'll be fine."

"Oh no, you don't. I'm putting make up on you and doing your hair. Arthur-kun asked for my help to turn you into something presentable tonight, preferably a young modest lady."

Hoshi snorted and tossed his head, causing Gaara to step back nervously. Talia grinned at him and said, "See? Even my horse thinks that's a ridiculous idea."

Callie snorted. "I can see why. Come on."

Sighing, Talia put the grooming gear away and led Gaara to the stable entrance, where the others were waiting. Kankurou kept glancing between Callie and Temari as Shay introduced her, thinking that they almost looked like sisters. He wasn't quite sure what it was, besides similar striking looks that seemed odd.

He was still muddling over it as Callie dragged a squirming Talia off in a vice grip, who called out, "I'll see you tonight, hopefully!"

Shay shook his head at them as the he bid the Sand siblings farewell and ran after the girls. The trio began their walk back home, and Gaara found himself feeling almost happy about how good the day had been. He felt like he would burst thinking of everything he wanted to tell Uncle Yashamaru.

As entered the building, Yashamaru was waiting for them. Greeting them all with a smile, he was startled as a small hand tugged his shirt. Looking down into Gaara's strangely bright eyes, he was speechless when the usually aloof red-head asked timidly, "Can you help me find something to wear tonight?"

Three and something hours later.

The moon shone brightly against the starry sky.

Despite the fact the white sun would not be full for another week, the cloudless night allowed the desert village to be bathed in a luminous glow. The evening was pleasant, with a gentle breeze to offset the heat rising from the sun-baked buildings. Overhead, a hawk flew unusually late, but no doubt returning to its nest after a successful day of hunting. If Talia could judge correctly, the hawk was carrying a desert shrew firmly in its talons.

She and Gaara stood on the roof of Suna's headquarters, listening to the music and noise that rose up from the hall below them. The Hall itself was usually used as the shinobi mess hall and as an indoor training ground. It was a vast room that contained numerous movable tables on either side of the main walkway, with a raised stage at one end and an impressive set of doors at the other. The doors were made of hardened clay, like the majority of the village, but were decorated with an intricate metal design that appeared to be worked into the clay. The doors, like numerous rooms and buildings of importance within the main complex, had been redesigned by the Third Kazekage and his unique iron sand abilities.

After dinner, the Kazekage and the elders had retired to give way to a mix of musicians, including two travelling bands as well as several villagers. Numerous barrels of wine and beer had been rolled in, courtesy of Arthur's caravan, as the first band struck up the song "Are you gonna be my girl?" Older teenagers in the village stayed to dance but most of those younger did not look forward to watch the drunken antics of their teachers and older siblings when they got caught drinking. Kankurou had been eyeing the beer since it arrived and had since disappeared, leaving his siblings to entertain Shay and Talia.

Talia had refused to return to their hotel with Shay and had quickly asked Gaara where the best view in Suna was. "The rooftop" had been his answer, and they had walked off with Gaara glancing back at Temari briefly. As they did, they heard Shay ask Temari loudly if she'd dance with him.

Now, standing over the sea of plain brown buildings, Talia wondered why she'd felt so annoyed at Shay when there really wasn't anything wrong. _Why is he so over-protective of me all the time? _She thought sullenly, _And then he went off and asked Temari to dance like it was the most important question he'd ever asked._

She sighed out loud without realising it.

"Is there something wrong Talia-san?" Gaara was looking at her in a questioning way which looked so different on him somehow. His dark navy shirt with silver stitching brought out his pale teal eyes well. When she had complemented him earlier, he had blushed and muttered that she looked very pretty.

Suddenly aware that she hadn't answered him, she quickly smiled and shook her head, "Nothing really".

Fingering the soft green material of her dress, she realised she felt more kinship with Gaara than anyone else their age, despite how little talking they had done. "Hey, this is really beautiful you know, in a strange plant-less, sandy way." It was true actually. Talia loved the forests and the sea for their own unique qualities but there was something about the desert that fascinated her.

Gaara nodded as he looked at the village. "I come up here a lot to watch the village. There are lots of places to see the village from, like up on the cliffs and on those rock towers, but no one goes up there at night anymore."

The last part was spoken bitterly. Talia hesitated, feeling a cold hand slowly tightening its grip on her heart. Her curiosity was stronger, and she asked quietly, "Why doesn't anyone go up there?"

"Because I'm always out here at night" He didn't look at her.

Talia felt her frustration rising. The villagers of Suna acted like they hated Gaara, but it made no sense as to why they would. "Why on earth would people not come out at night just because you're out here? What is it that everyone keeps whispering about you?"

Tension filled the distance between them and Gaara's voice cracked. "People call me a monster, because I hurt others and make people bleed a lot."

He spun around towards her and her breath caught. In the pale moonlight, his soft boyish features seemed to harden, like a glimpse of the man he would grow into. It was the look in his eyes that sent a flash of fear coursing through her. They were pitch black, hard as stone, and something else was staring at her. Briefly, she heard a dark voice laughing in her head before it vanished, leaving her feeling sick to her stomach and Gaara stepping back in shock.

"I-I-I don't… what was… I'm s-sorry… I didn't mean to…" His voice sounded as shaky as her legs felt. He looked confused and upset as Talia stared at him, sucking the cool night air deeply into her dry lungs.

When she finally spoke, her own voice was shaky but gentle. "Gaara-kun, it's alright, you don't have to apologise. I should say sorry for being so rude. I know…" She stopped herself before she said anything else. As much as she wanted to tell her new friend, it was forbidden. Instead she took a step towards him and held out her hand, "Forgive and forget?"

A new light came into his eyes, and a wave of strange sadness filled him. They shook hands solemnly and tension in the air slipped away into the night.

They kept watching the skies in silence for a long time. Neither Talia nor Gaara were aware of Baki, hidden in the shadows as he watched the two children. He relaxed slightly as they shook hands but was the only one who knew how close Talia had come to dying that night.


End file.
